What kind of king will Charles III be?

This is a question I have been asked many times lately. As a scientist, I may be good at proving facts, but I have to admit I’m not very good at reading tea leaves. The best answer I can offer is based on Charles’ track record in my area of ​​expertise.

In his role as Prince of Wales, Charles has spent four decades promoting all kinds of “alternative” nonsense. His anti-scientific stance has gone too far, and he once even said he was proud to be an enemy of the Enlightenment.

The royal love for this remedy is as old as homeopathy itself and can be seen in many forms.

Queen Elizabeth II was patron of the Royal Homeopathic Hospital in London. Charles has lobbied British politicians to support homeopathy and in 2019 became a Patron of the ‘Faculty of Homeopathy’, a professional organization for medical homeopathy in the UK.

Why can we confidently claim that homeopathy is nonsense?

Homeopathic remedies are based on plants and other ingredients. For example, the famously ridiculous relief is made of the Berlin Wall.

Remedies are usually so diluted that they don’t contain a single molecule of the substance advertised in the bottle. – is called “C30”. C30-potency is diluted 30-fold with a ratio of 1:100.

This means that 1 drop of starting material dissolves in 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 drops of diluent.

Homeopaths assume that their remedies work via a mysterious ‘life energy’ rather than on a physical level. They also claim that the process of dilution, which homeopaths call it “potentiation”, makes their remedies more potent, not less. .

Homeopathy follows the principle of “remedies like”.For example, if a patient suffers from watery eyes, a homeopath may prescribe a remedy made with onions, because onions keep our eyes moist. maybe coffee arabica Because coffee wakes us up.

It cannot be denied that the assumptions of homeopathy contradict known laws of nature. It doesn’t fail, but I understand that homeopathy cannot work beyond a placebo.

Still, acid testing of any therapy must be a clinical trial, and there are currently about 500 clinical trials of homeopathy available. Numerous official statements from different countries have acknowledged this fact, confirming the absurdity of homeopathy.

“There is no high-quality evidence that homeopathy is effective in treating any health condition.” (NHS England)

“The principles of homeopathy are in conflict with known chemical, physical and biological laws, and no convincing scientific tests proving their effectiveness are available.” (Russian Academy of Sciences)

“Homeopathy should not be used to treat any medical condition that is chronic, serious, or potentially serious. Refusal or delay of treatment may put health at risk. (National Health and Medical Research Council, Australia)

“The inclusion of anthroposophical and homeopathic products in the Swedish Directive on Medicines would violate several basic principles of medicines and evidence-based medicine.” (Swedish Academy of Sciences)

But since many patients have gotten better after taking homeopathic remedies, enthusiasts are convinced they are right and the science is wrong. It carefully ignores the fact that it is the result of placebo responses or other factors unrelated to the remedy itself.

Even the widely held belief that homeopathy does no harm is not true. Yes, highly diluted homeopathic remedies may not be risky, but sadly this cannot be said for homeopathy.

Charles’ long-running defense of homeopathy has undermined his credibility in science in the face of mounting evidence against it. When Charles first advocated for homeopathy, there were his five homeopathic NHS hospitals in the UK. Nothing with that name today. When he started his mission, the NHS reimbursed him for his homeopathy. Today this is no longer the case.

So does Charles’ track record offer any hint as to his future conduct in his role as king?

I highly doubt it!

Yes, he has to stop making public declarations, but his new clout as head of state allows him to pull the strings behind the scenes.

Why should I worry about this?

For the benefit of patients, healthcare must be based on the most reliable evidence currently available. When powerful people challenge scientific consensus, use their influence to interfere with health policy, and pretend their opinions are evidence, they impede progress.

And when the enemy of the Enlightenment takes the throne, many anti-scientists around the world will be empowered more than they already feel.

(PS: More information about Charles’ love of homeopathy and other bogus remedies can be found in my recent book. Charles, Alternative Prince: Unlicensed Biography.)